One of the drawbacks to computer systems is the vast number of redundant files that are repeatedly copied and stored in multiple directories. While attempts are made to identify these files by a unique name or characteristic, what often results is that redundant files are saved multiple times in a directory or computer system. As a result, a waste of memory occurs in storing the redundant files. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for files to either innocently or intentionally be misidentified in a computing system. As a result, files residing on the system may have an incorrect identifier that prevents them from being correctly or efficiently recognized by various users or application programs.
As one example, in the industry of downloading music files across the internet, it is not uncommon for a new artist to store their new song under the name of a popular artist. The theory is that by storing the new song under the name of the more popular artist, more people will likely download that particular file and listen to the misidentified song of the new artist. This is commonly referred to as “Napster bombing”. Apparently, the new artists feel that by Napster bombing there is a greater chance of being discovered by the listening public. In peer-to-peer networks, for example, one can access the directory of another user and view the available files of that user. Thus, the user who controls the physical directory can misidentify songs either intentionally or purposefully. A Napster bomber involved in a peer-to-peer network connection with another user can misidentify his or her new song and allow a second user to download that file for listening. Thus, the second user can waste a good deal of time in obtaining a copy of a song that was misidentified.
As another example, a memory system that contains redundant data can waste storage space that could be better used for nonredundant data. For example, as files are copied and stored during normal processes, they are given new names by users for easier identification. As a result, multiple files are stored on a computer system that contain the same data. Days, months, or years later, it is difficult to know from the file characteristics or identifiers, such as file names, whether the files are redundant or not. Thus, they are simply maintained on the computing system by the housekeeping programs.
With the advent of downloading audio and video files across computer networks for viewing by users on their home computers, there is a great potential for not only storing redundant files but also Napster bombing video files. As a result, a user could potentially waste a good deal of time, for example in downloading a misidentified video file which has a substantially greater time involved in downloading as compared to a less memory intensive audio file. Furthermore, the servers or caching computers that will store data or content files such as video files will have limited memory capacity for storing purposes. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to eliminate any unnecessary redundant files.